(MENAFN- Live Mint) The unfortunate demise of Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of one of India's biggest conglomerates, has left the entire nation in deep shock. Besides several tributes and notes for the legendary businessman, a heart-wrenching note by -the young general manager of India's greatest philanthropist-for his 'lighthouse' has caught the attention of everyone.
“The hole that this friendship has now left with me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to fill. Grief is the price to pay for love. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse,” Naidu's LinkedIn post read.
Naidu has been in the public eye for quite some time now, leaving many wondering about his warm friendship and closeness with the business tycoon. The first time gained attention after a video of him celebrating Ratan Tata's birthday went viral. In that viral video, Naidu was seen clapping and singing a birthday song for his Ratan Tata. He also kept his hand on the businessman's shoulder and fed him from the cupcake. Even Tata always regarded Naidu as his son, even though he is single and has never married.
Who is Shantanu Naidu? Shantanu Naidu originally hails from Pune. He completed his engineering degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University in 2014. After graduation, Naidu pursued an MBA from Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, New York, in 2016.
Naidu started his career as an automobile design engineer at Tata Elxsi, where he introduced an innovative project, Motopaws, to protect stray dogs from traffic accidents. His solution involved protecting stray dogs from being hit by cars by designing reflective collars to make them more visible to night drivers. His work for stray dogs got covered in the Tata Group of Companies' newsletter.
How Did Ratan Tata Met Shantanu Naidu?
On the advice of his father, Naidu wrote a letter to Ratan Tata--an avid dog lover, about his project. After two months, to his surprise, he got a reply from Ratan Tata himself with an invitation for a meeting. Few days later, he met Ratan Tata at his office in Mumbai. Tata said "I'm deeply touched by the work you do!"
Tata took him to his place to meet his dogs. Later, Ratan Tata also helped him to start his venture Moto Paws. Moto Paws make reflective collars for stray dogs that make them easily visible.
Over the period, Tata and Naidu developed a strong and beautiful friendship. The bond between the two blossomed through their mutual love for animals. Reportedly, Naidu started working as his assistant in 2018.
Naidu himself is an entrepreneur who founded Good fellows in 2021. The startup is committed to providing complete aid to elderly individuals living alone in India. In fact, Tata had always been a supporter of Naidu's initiatives and had reportedly invested in the startup too.
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